A Mother's Legacy
by Teefa and Co
Summary: Sequal to Looking for her. A secret from Ekatrina Maxwell's past comes back to haunt Virginia and her family. Now, she and Jet must solve a riddle of the stranger who showed up at thier door, while protecting their twin children
1. Mystery Attacker

****

Mystery Attacker

"But Mom," whined Lilka, "I don't want to wear this stupid dress. It's way too stuffy, and I can't move around really well. And it itches too. What's wrong with the skirt I usually wear?"

"Lilka, can you at least dress up for one day? For Raftina's sake, it's your sixth birthday today. Don't you want to look nice for all of your guests?" asked Virginia, on the verge of breaking. Neither of her children were being very cooperative today. Ashley was giving poor Jet a run around, not standing still for one minute, and making his father chase him all around the house.

  
Lilka told her mom, "But I'll mess it up. I'm going to probably drop some cake or ice cream in my lap, or spill my juice across my front." Which was and was not true. Lilka did have a reputation for getting messy when it came to things like that. But she'd never once gotten it on an outfit, only her face.

Virginia finally conceded. "Ok Lilka, you don't have to wear the dress. I wonder if I ever gave my mom half the trouble that you and your brother give me and your father." She knew that Lilka wouldn't take that the wrong way, after all, she'd been much colder in the days that she'd had amnesia, and went around as the heartless Megami. Lilka and Ashley were used to her pretending that they were just along for the ride, so as not to appear to be a weak willed woman warrior to her clients.

"Guardians," muttered Jet as he sat down on the couch, totally exhausted, "These two are enough to drive anyone crazy. How in Zephyr's name did you ever raise them so long on your own?"

"Don't ask me. I guess I just have a knack for dealing with kids. Besides, we were on the road, and they knew that certain things would just cause trouble for our travels. But now that we've got our own place, they have a little more leeway to get into trouble and run around," suggested Virginia.

Jet picked up a newspaper. On the front page, he saw an article. The headline read, " Little Rock Miner Murdered, No Suspects Named". The article went on to talk about how this man named Edwin Roughnight had been working in the abandoned mines, believing that he would still find something even though they'd been dry for years. One day, he was late coming home and his neighbor began to worry. They found him in a ditch, shot to death in the chest, and lying in a pool of his own blood.

Jet looked at one paragraph. "The weirdest thing about this is that his blood was all blue. The sheriff speculated that he might have had his lungs punctured as well, and he had lost air, but further examination showed that it wasn't the case. No one knows exactly why this man's blood was blue. And no suspects can be named in this shooting. Roughnight's only known family, a daughter, had moved from Little Rock years ago, and no one knows how to reach her to tell her of her father's death."

  
"Hey, Virginia," called Jet, "Take a look at this. Your mom's maiden name was Roughnight, right? Do you think she could have been the daughter of the man who they found murdered in Little Rock."

"That is my grandfather! Mom always told me that he was mining in Little Rock, always looking for some remnant of the Kingdom of Adlehyde, which was rumored to have been located around that town somewhere. Did someone find out that he was a Shaman?" she pondered.

Jet asked her, "What's up with all this commotion over blue blood? I thought that meant there was some sort of oxygen deficiency when your blood was blue. So what's their problem?"

  
Virginia read through the article. "Well, this is no oxygen deficiency. Shamans bleed blue when they're using their full powers. The magic in our bodies causes some strange changes when it gets cast, maybe it does eat up oxygen. Or it could be that the blue is some kind of magical color, after all it's the same shade as the Teardrop. Most times, we bleed red like a normal human being. This shows that he was trying to defend himself with his magic when he was taken out."

"Mommy," said Ashley, "Uncle Clive and Aunt Catherine are here, and they want to see you."

"Tell them that we'll be right there sweetheart. Daddy and I have to discuss something that's very important. Can you and your sister entertain the guests until then?" asked Virginia.

Ashley replied, "Ok Mommy." He then ran off with Lilka to greet the Winsletts. Virginia and Jet, however, remained behind in the living room, talking about the murder and what could have happened.

Virginia wiped sweat off of her fevered brow. "Well, I don't know about you Jet. But for me, this is kind of freaky. I mean, what if this guy knew grandfather was a Shaman, and is looking to murder our people? I could be next. And the children, oh Raftina please guard their souls."

"Don't worry Ginny. Whatever happens, I'll protect you from harm. I'm sure it's no more than a freaky coincidence that the murder happened to be carried out against a Shaman in general and your grandfather in particular. Probably some tavern thug who'd had too much to drink. After all, he had no enemies, and you said that Shamans are always careful," Jet reminded her.

* * *

The party was a huge success. Lilka and Ashley, dressed in their casual clothes, had managed to keep clean for the whole time that the food was out. Kaitlyn entertained everyone with her newest hobby, the violin. Her father had brought it home with him from one of his journeys, after she'd expressed an interest in learning music. And she'd taken to it like a duck to water.

But shortly after Kaitlyn had begun playing, shots fired out. A voice from outside yelled, "I know you're in there Maxwell! You can't hide from me forever. Come on out and face me like a man. Even if you are a girl, I'm not showing you any mercy. You're going to die for what you've done."

Virginia was expecting it to be another dumb bounty hunter. She sighed, they still happened to get ideas once in awhile. So she ran outside with Jet, Clive, and Gallows close behind. The children were left inside with the others. But what they saw wasn't what they were expecting.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

Heh, I seriously ripped off SaGa Frontier's Mystic Blood. I wanted to do something like this, you know, magic blood, royal blood. But I remembered that I'd made Virginia bleed in the other stories, so I made it a linking to her magic.


	2. Mother's Secret

****

Mother's Secret

"So, we meet again," a man stated, "I've been waiting for this moment for years. Now, you will die for the anguish I have suffered." He didn't look like someone she'd met before, nor like a member of the Ark of Destiny. In fact, he couldn't be much older than she was, probably was also twenty-six years of age. The man had blond hair that went down to his chin, and green eyes. He had on a red shirt and black jeans. A pair of leather cowboy boots were on his feet, and he'd also put on a leather jacket and a ten-gallon hat with a red band. A pistol was in his hands, and a wicked smile on his face.

"I think you've been mistaken, I've never met you in my life. I am, however, Virginia M. Enduro. I take it you're here to go bounty hunting or something?" she inquired, her eyes never leaving him.

The man said, "Of course you wouldn't remember us meeting, that was many years ago. I don't remember it myself. But all I know is, it's your fault that I was left all alone, lying in a ditch outside of town as a little baby. I was darn lucky that my foster father found me and saved my life."

Now Virginia was confused. "How could I be responsible for something like that? You're my age, not older or younger. If you were a baby, then so was I. So how could I have hurt you like that?"

  
"You were born," he replied, "I was loved before your birth. But then you came along, and I was pushed away, unloved and unappreciated. Thrown away like some old rag, or a pet that you no longer want. Because of you I've endured so much suffering that you would never believe it."

  
"I don't understand, how could that hurt you? Why would my birth cause you to be unloved by anyone? Who are you anyway, and what are you to me?" she asked.

The man told her, "You are nothing to me, or rather, I wish you were nothing to me. But as for the other question, my birth name was Vincent Maxwell, and I am your twin brother."

  
Gallows looked shocked. "Hey Virginia, you never told us that you had a big brother. I mean, I always thought that you were an only child. Why didn't you say anything?"

Jet sighed. He was amazed at Gallows's stupidity. Virginia looked just as shocked as anyone to find out she had a brother. For years, she always had said that her mother gave birth to but one child, as it was hard to find time alone with her dad due to his responsibilities on the council.

"Liar!" she exclaimed, "I don't have a brother! I'm an only child, you can just ask my aunt and uncle. My dad was too busy to try to have another, and mom was content with things just as they are. And I know that I don't have a twin, mom only brought one child home with her."

  
"Mother, our uncaring mother. She who abandoned me out of her want for a little girl, and a family tradition of having but one child. Always appearing to be a saint in the meantime to the rest of her family, who went along with her choice. I take it she never told you of her little sin?" questioned Vincent.

Virginia yelled, "It's not true! Mother would never do something so horrible to anyone, let alone her own flesh and blood. What makes you think that she abandoned you?"

  
Vincent looked into her eyes, their father's eyes. "Do you want me to tell you, little brat? Fine, I'll reveal the truth about your mother. I don't even consider her mine anymore, not with what she did to me."

~ ~ ~ ~

"What should I do?" Ekatrina Maxwell mused, "I wanted to only have one kid. That's why I married someone who I knew wouldn't care much about things like that in the first place. But now I'm stuck with a second one. There's got to be some way to get around this."

  
"Ekatrina, be reasonable. These are your children, your flesh. Please, have mercy on their souls. These kids aren't at fault for whatever happened. Don't allow your family traditions and beliefs to get in the way of a happy future with them," begged a man with long black hair who was in the room.

She replied, "Leehalt, you know nothing of my family's traditions. If you were told to only have one child, and one child only, then what would you do with the second one? See, you can't answer that, you are unable to know how I feel. We've never dealt with this in the past. Werner, what should I do?"

  
Werner looked at his wife, and shrugged. "Whatever you want to do. You carried them for nine months, you went through the labor, and you have to raise them. I'm going to be really busy at the lab, so I can't help much on that front. So it'll be your decision as to how to handle this."

"I knew I couldn't count on you either," she muttered, "Neither of you can understand what I'm going through. I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands, as usual."

Just then, one of the babies grabbed onto its mother's necklace. When Ekatrina looked down, she found herself staring into her daughter's blue eyes. Her son, at that moment, began to scream and cry like a banshee. Everyone quickly covered their ears to drown out the sound.

"Well, that makes my decision a heck of a lot easier, Vincent shut up," she ordered.

Leehalt couldn't take it any more. Neither of them were listening to him, and the boy's screams were deafening. So he went back to the saloon, where he'd been staying. But late that night, he realized that he'd forgotten to pick up something. So he trudged out into the rain to go to the store. On the way home, he saw something lying in a ditch, and went to investigate. Upon opening the bundle, he saw the small baby boy, sleeping peacefully, but shivering due to the cold in the air.

~ ~ ~ ~

Virginia stated, "It can't be true. Mother would never do something so horrible to anyone. Why do you believe such an outrageous story like that. And from Leehalt's mouth at that. He and Father were enemies, he'd do anything to mess Daddy up in some way."

  
Vincent was angered. "How dare you insult Father?! He raised me when your parents didn't see me fit to live. I will get my vengeance for my suffering, as well as Father's death. He told me that my sister was fighting against him, so I take it that you're the one who killed him. You are going to die for all of the suffering that I've endured over the years, my dear sister."

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

Well, I was thinking about westerns, and duels one day, and then I turned onto the topic of twins separated at birth and being on opposing sides while I was trying to find out ideas for Destined Daughter. You notice it's a little bit like Reina and Celia, but without an uncaring mother story. And yes, Leehalt did know about Virginia for a long time, he didn't know the girl he was fighting was Werner's daughter. Ten to one that Werner came into work the day he found out he was going to be a father, and told at least one of the others on the Council of Seven. And that someone probably insisted they celebrate or something, and you know Leehalt never not notices what is going on, heck he knew about Janus's rebellious plans, but allowed them to continue in order to gather the necessary energy to revive Siegfried.


	3. Sibling Battle

****

Sibling Battle

"Prepare to die," Vincent told Virginia, "You will not get away with what you did to me, or to my father. He will be avenged, and I will finally be free of this burden. Then, I will go and kill your parents, and your aunt and uncle for their part in my abandonment. Just like I killed our grandfather for teaching that woman to only have one child. If he hadn't of spoken up, she'd have kept me."

"So, you murdered our grandfather! Unforgivable! Maybe I didn't know him too well, and haven't seen him in seventeen years, but he was still family. You've missed the train a few too many times in your murders though. Both Mommy and Daddy died when I was a child," she admitted.

Jet said, "You've got it all wrong. Virginia would never have intentionally done anything to harm you, she's a good-hearted soul. And if her mother raised her to be like that, then that means that she'd have been kindly as well. Everyone in Boot Hill said that she was the kindest and gentlest lady they had ever met. And another thing, Virginia did not kill Leehalt. I did, with my own bare hands, in order to protect Filgaia from his wicked ambition to turn the whole planet into a den of demons."

Vincent looked from his sister, to his brother-in-law. "I guess then I can kill the both of you. I never realized how much enjoyment killing can bring, until I went on this quest for revenge. Pity, that stupid rule about one child only. Else I would have more of your family to kill."

  
"You can't believe everything you hear," Clive stated, "It is unfathomable for any mother to abandon their child for such a silly reason as tradition. Did you ever try to talk to your mother?"

  
"She's not my mother! I have no mother. And her husband is not my father either. My father was killed by you fools seven years ago. Maybe I can satisfy my bloodlust by getting rid of not only his killer, but the allies as well. Yes, I did try to talk to her. I went to Boot Hill once when I was five, with my father. And she didn't even take notice that I existed," Vincent replied.

~ ~ ~ ~

A younger Vincent asked, "Daddy, where are those heartless people you are always telling me about? I would like to know their faces, so one day I can get revenge." The poor boy was already so hardened to the truths of the world, that he was quite mature for his age.

Leehalt looked down. "Vincent, look ahead, they're coming down the road. Now, we must not be hasty, you might be able to salvage your relationship with these people. Even if you'd rather live with me, you can still get to know your birth parents. We will talk to them, and sort things out."

  
Werner, Ekatrina, and a little Virginia were coming down the road. They were going out for a family picnic in the fields. Werner was carrying a picnic basket in his left hand, while his wife had a blanket under her right arm. Her left arm was intertwined with his right one. Virginia, on the other hand, was running ahead, chasing after butterflies and giggling, retaining the innocence her brother did not know. When she caught one, she'd open her hands and let it fly away once more.

  
"Virginia," Ekatrina called, "Be careful my dear. Don't run to fast, or you might hurt yourself."

  
"Ok Mommy," she yelled back. The young girl continued to run around, smelling the wonderful flowers of pre-Wasteland Filgaia. Her parents sat together on the blanket, smiling at one another.

Werner stated, "This is just perfect. The sun is shining, the grass around here is still green, the flowers are blooming, and I'm with my family. Nothing could be better than this."

Ekatrina nodded. "Yes, nothing can be better. Everything is just the way I wanted it to be, just you and me. You and me and Virginia, together forever, one family."

~ ~ ~ ~

"You never even spoke to her," Virginia said, "You just watched Mom, Dad, and me as we were on a picnic. Maybe if you'd spoken to her, she might have told you what really happened."

  
"I know what happened, she abandoned me. And that man let it happen. Only Father ever tried to help me out. You didn't hear her, she was happy with out me. Happy that she had her wretched husband, and her little brat of a daughter. Happy that her son had been thrown away like an old rag, and left for dead. Happy that she didn't know my fate, or even if I was alive," he yelled.

Virginia whispered, "It's not what you think it is, it just can't be. Mother would never have done something so horrible. She's just way too nice. Leehalt is just putting ideas in your head, eager for his personal revenge against Daddy. Eager enough to use his own son to carry it out."

Jet suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute. If the Yggdrasil devoured the memories of the people of Filgaia concerning the planet's green past, then how can Vincent remember a time when you are all in a field of flowers, having a picnic? Wouldn't that have been gobbled up as well? Unless, you're just a phantom Leehalt created to extract his revenge against Werner and the rest of us."

"It's simple," Vincent stated, "I recorded my memories of my birth parents and their wickedness in a journal, or rather, my father did it for me. And we made sure to remember the details as well. Just so I'd never forget the reason why I did this." With that, he shot his pistol at Virginia.

In a moment of nervous fear, Virginia put up a Hi-Shield spell, knowing that between death by an enemy or her friends finding out what she really was, she'd chose the latter. But the bullet had been reinforced, and broke right through. It did, however, miss its mark, hitting her shoulder instead of her chest. The bullet grazed right across, and ended up stuck in a barrel a few feet behind.

"That was a nice shot, you should consider target practice," teased Virginia, gripping her injured shoulder to heal it. Casting her Medium magic, she closed the wound. But not before she'd bled a bit, leaving blue blood trailing down the nice new white shirt she'd purchased for the party. Everyone began to stare at her, wondering what had happened to cause her to bleed like that.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…  
  
No, there's no phantom. He really is her brother, just, like he said, he wrote down the reasons why he planned to get revenge. Besides, Boot Hill, Baskar, and Claiborn are the three towns where the grass is still green, as well as the Secret Garden area.


	4. Ghosts From the Past

****

Ghosts From the Past

"What kind of creature are you?" inquired Vincent, "I remember that fool of an old man also had such oddly colored blood. Must be some sort of freakish mutation that runs in that woman's family."

  
Virginia watched as her brother cut his shoulder with a knife. Red blood flowed from the wound, and he was pleased. Vincent then used a Heal Berry to fix up the wound, so he wouldn't end up losing too much and die. After all, he couldn't leave the world until he had gotten his revenge.

"See, I'm a normal human being. Unlike you. Well, you've gotten lucky today. I don't know what exactly that barrier was, but I know that I'll have to find a new way to get around it. Oh well, that gives me more time to hunt you down, and kill you," he stated. Then, Vincent ran away.

Clive asked, "Virginia, what has happened to you? It is not normal for a human being to bleed anything other than red. If you are suffering from an oxygen deficiency, then I will have to take you to see the doctor. After all, you can't fall ill with all that is going on, and your children to take care of."

  
Virginia looked down at the road. "It's not an oxygen deficiency. It is a result of me using my Crest Sorcery, an art passed down from my mother's family. It goes all the way back to the days of the Kingdom of Adlehyde, where my ancestors were the rulers of a whole country."

  
"Adlehyde!" exclaimed Clive, "You mean the land of the Shamans?! The place where the people were said to be summoning a demon about a thousand years ago, and fell when the angered populace came to their kingdom, burnt it to the ground, and killed everyone that they could?"

  
"Don't get all bent out of shape Clive. Those people weren't summoning a demon, they were calling for the Guardian's help to protect themselves from the demon. I paid attention to that much when Granny was giving me lessons, cuz I was interested in the stories about killing demons," Gallows said.

Virginia told them, "Yes, that's what happened. Listen, I've got to go check out my mother's journal, which is still in a chest in my room. I never read it, since I didn't feel like invading her privacy, but there could be a clue to what exactly happened years ago with Vincent, and why he was abandoned."

* * *

She went back inside, and opened the trunk. Inside, Virginia found a leather bound book with a golden lock. The young woman took the key, and opened it up. Then, she began to read. Some of it was unnecessary, but there was a good deal pertaining to the twins.

"June 23, 2182: I wish Werner could come home for the birth of the baby. But he has to work overtime. There's supposedly some big project going on, and they can't let two members of the same division off. Werner thinks Leehalt planned his vacation around this time, just to antagonize him."

"June 4, 2182: I went over to my friend Victoria's house today. She's a Shaman like myself, and a very good midwife. I'd rather have her birth my child, rather than a regular doctor. After all, Daddy used to say that the Royal Family has to only have the best care for their progeny."

  
"June 5, 2182: This was really unexpected. I not only had one child, but twins. The firstborn is a boy named Vincent, and his sister Virginia came shortly after. They are so cute when they're sleeping in their little beds. I can't wait to tell Werner what happened, boy will he be surprised at this development."

"June 6, 2182: When I woke up this morning, I found that something was wrong. Vincent wasn't in his bed, sleeping. Victoria hasn't seen him at all. We began searching for him at once, one at a time so's not to leave Virginia and Victoria's infant daughter, Emily, alone in the house. But it was all for naught, as we came up empty. I must find out who has taken my son from me."

  
"June 13 2182: I had to go home today, back to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Boot Hill. Otherwise, they'll get suspicious. Victoria has promised to keep her eye out for my poor baby. Virginia, on the other hand, is coming home with me. I just won't tell Werner, Tesla, and Shalte, not until I can bring Vincent home with me. No need to cause them any unnecessary grief, especially with all of the hard work that Werner has to go through while working on his projects with the Council."

She closed the book. 'Just as I thought, my mother did love her son. But who could have stolen him away from his home? That's it, Leehalt! He had off around the time that we were born, that's why Daddy couldn't get a vacation. He also raised Vincent as his own. The whole story that my brother was told was a big lie, made up just to make him believe that he was unloved. But how did my mother ever keep all of that grief to herself so long?' Virginia opened the book to a page from five years later.

"April 19, 2187: We went on a picnic today, me and Werner and Virginia. It's nice to know that he's finally getting some deserved time off of work. Virginia ran around chasing butterflies all day, she looked so precious. It's times like this, though, that I wonder what it would be like if Vincent were still alive today. Would he be chasing butterflies with his sister, or tossing stones down the path?"

"Mother thought he was dead," whispered Virginia, "She held this secret inside of herself, pretending to be happy. But I guess she eventually accepted what had happened, and gave up hope on ever finding her son alive. She died never knowing what had happened to him."

"It'll be ok Virginia. We'll try our best to make Vincent see the truth. Hopefully, we will not have to resort to killing him. You deserved to be able to have a relationship with your brother, and our children deserve to know who their uncle is," Jet said to his beloved.

Virginia replied, "Thank you, Jet. I'll try my best. Maybe we can use this journal to show him the truth. You know he won't stay away forever, he'll try again sooner or later."

  
Suddenly, Lilka ran in. "Mommy, are you ok? Uncle Clive said that you were injured, cuz you found out something bad from the past. Is there a boo-boo in your mind."

  
"No my darling," replied Virginia, "I'll be ok. It was a bit of a shock, but I'll have to deal with it. Listen, things might get a little tough soon. I need your cooperation until the storm passes."

"Ok Mommy. I'm a big girl. I'll help you out," Lilka stated.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

Isn't Lilka just too kawaii? I like kids, I want some of my own when I get married.


	5. The Ally

****

The Ally

A week passed, and Vincent hadn't returned. Jet and Virginia both believed that he was just toying with them, waiting for them to start seeing things around every corner, and to go crazy. Neither one of them were going to give him the satisfaction, they stayed cool as cucumbers. Lilka and Ashley were behaving nicely, knowing that there was something wrong, and their parents didn't need any other problems complicating their lives. Let's just say that life was good for them at the moment.

But Virginia wanted to become prepared for if there was going to be a battle. She needed some more information than was found in her mother's journal. So one day, she and Jet locked the house up and headed for the house of her mother's old friend, the midwife Victoria Maria Syliana.

Victoria was a Shaman of fifty-two years of age, only a year older than her mother would have been had she lived through her sickness. She had golden yellow hair and brown eyes, and had a lion's head pendant around her neck, showing that she was from a family that paid tribute to Justine. Born under the Zodiac Sign Virgo, she wore a brown robe with golden borders, much like Virginia's blue one. It was a Shamanistic tradition to make their patron Elemental Guardian the one who presided over the element of your Zodiac sign, and to wear a robe with the symbolic colors of that Guardian. So she was a servant to the Earth Guardian Grudiev, in the same way that Virginia called on Schturdark.

The woman was the best midwife that Ekatrina Roughnight Maxwell had known, her childhood best friend. Victoria lost her husband in an accident after becoming pregnant with his child, so she had moved to a secluded cottage, where another midwife she'd known had birthed the daughter. Since she lived in solitude, she was able to use her powers a little more freely than most Shamans. That was the main reason that Jet and Virginia had elected to live in the middle of a forest, the other two being the fact that some people still try to go after them for a bounty, and Ginny's enjoyment of nature.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Virginia spoke up, "I would like to know if you're Victoria Syliana. My name is Virginia M. Enduro, Ekatrina Maxwell's daughter. I need to talk to you about something important."

"Little Ginny! Great Grudiev, I haven't seen you since the day your mom died. I'm sure you wouldn't remember every person who came to pay their respects to our fallen princess, you were pretty upset back then, and I remember seeing you cry. But you might remember the woman who dried your tears, and gave you some home made cookies. That was me," she admitted.

Virginia exclaimed, "That was you!? Sorry, you were right, I wasn't in the best of spirits. Oh, before I forget, this is my husband Jet, and our children Ashley Alexander and Lilka Jane. Can we come in for a little bit, this is something that only you can help us with, as you know more than we do."

Victoria ushered the Enduros into her house. "Emily, can you make us some tea and bring in some cookies? We've got important guests here today, and I want to give them the best hospitality that we can manage. Sorry it won't be much, Your Highness, but we do live in the middle of a forest."

"So do we," Virginia told her, "It's really nice. But seriously, I've got to speak with you on a very important subject. It could be a matter of life and death for myself, my husband, and our friends. As well as my daddy's brother and sister-in-law. Did you see the article about Grandfather's murder?"

"Yes, I did. Who in the world could have done such a thing? I was originally going for the fact that he might have found something of value, and some rogues had gone after him, but his belongings hadn't been gone through at all. And why in the heck would he use magic, and risk giving himself away to fight, unless the enemy was a monster or demon, and he was away from town?" she inquired.

Emily called, "Mother, the tea is ready." Then, she came into the room. Only about a month older than Virginia, she was born under the sign of Gemini, and her patrons were Fengalon and Justine. She was wearing her Shaman's robes, the lion's head necklace, and had blue hair and brown eyes.

Victoria smiled at her daughter. "Thank you, just put it down in the center of the table. Come and sit down, relax. I'm sure you don't remember Virginia too well, you were only eight when the two of you last saw one another. But I do remember you trying to cheer her up after her mom died by showing her your new bracelet. Let me introduce you to the rest of her family as well."

  
So Victoria introduced her young daughter to the Enduros. After that, a young girl came into the room. She was only about five years of age, and had blue hair and green eyes. The girl was wearing blue Shaman's robes, and dragging a teddy bear along the floor with her left hand.

"Cecille," Emily stated, "These are friends of mommy and grandma. Now, I would like you to go and play somewhere while we talk, I don't think what Auntie Virginia has to say is of any interest to you."

"Ashley, Lilka, you go with her. It'll probably be more fun for the two of you if you're with a kid your own age than hanging out with a bunch of adults like us," Virginia suggested.

All three kids ran off, already talking about what they like to do. They were really happy to be able to go and play somewhere, adult talk was often boring. Cecille, however, was also happy to have someone her own age to play with, having no siblings or close friends. Although Ashley was a little bit annoyed that he had to play with a duo of hyperactive young girls, he got enough of that at home.

Emily said, "Don't mind Cecille. She's just lonely, what with no friends her own age around. Her father would move our family to the city, if only he wasn't always experimenting with magic as a hobby. He's a Shaman too, met him at a party that mother held for some friends a few years back."

  
Victoria looked at her guests. "Now, you say that you've found out something about your grandfather's murder. Do you know who did it, and why he had attacked in the first place?"

  
"Yes, I do," Virginia told the women, "You've got to give me some more information before I can try to track him down though. For the killer is my own twin brother, whose existence you and mom kept a secret, so's not to upset my father since he was busy with his work."

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…  
  
Like the robes and necklaces? They have religious significance to her people. Well, here's how it goes. I've taken the four Elemental Guardians, and put them equal to the Zodiac signs of the same element. That is, Moor Gault=Aries, Leo, and Saggitarius; Grudiev=Toros, Virgo, and Capricorn; Fengalon=Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius; and Schturdark=Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. The colors of their elements (red, brown, green, and blue) is the color of the robes of people born under those signs. And the robes are exactly like the one Virginia wore in "The Heiress". The necklaces are the symbol of which High Guardian they pray to, which differs from family to family. Although it isn't uncommon to change which one you worship, like with most religions. Most people shape their virtues based on the one their Shamanistic parent would pray too, unless both were Shamans and worshipped a different one. Virginia's family worships Raftina, since that's the one she's most like.


	6. Advice

****

Advice

"But why?" asked Victoria, "Why would little Vincent shoot his own grandfather? Does this mean that his kidnapping had some sinister plot behind it, or was it just a really scary coincidence?"

  
"It was planned. The man who took Vincent was a rival for Mother's affections, and would do anything to mess with my father's head. Including, as it seems, kidnap his son, and make the boy believe he was abandoned so he'd come back and shoot his whole family. That's why grandfather used magic to defend himself, he was told that the boy was his grandson, and assumed that Vincent already knew about his being a Shaman. Not thinking that he would get killed in the battle," Virginia admitted.

Emily inquired, "What was the old man thinking? He's no spring chicken, he's a whole seventy-four years of age, in no condition to fight a man who was born when he was still fourty-eight. Heck, he should not have even been still mining, but he wanted so badly to find the lost remnants of Adlehyde."

  
Jet put his arm around his wife, hoping to comfort her. "We were attacked by Vincent about a week ago. Virginia read her mother's journal, but she still doesn't know exactly what she can do to help her fight her brother. We hope to save him, make him realize the truth about what happened. Although we've got the journal, we'll need all the help and information we can get in order to convince him that she is not his enemy, and end his plans to kill off the people he claims added to his abandonment."

  
"You can count on us," Victoria stated, "I will tell you everything I know. And I can also vouch for what happened, being the person who midwifed his birth. Besides, I'm in agreement. We must stop this madman's scheme to tear a family apart. Where is this guy now? Maybe we can attack him too."

  
"He died seven years ago. This man and his allies were attempting to transform Filgaia into a land of demons, and the two of us and our allies came to stop him. That's why he wants to kill a pair of our friends as well, since they assisted in the death of the man he called 'Father'," Virginia told them.

Victoria said, "Then I suggest we get started with making a plan immediately. But first, I've got something to give you. Your mother left it with me when she last visited. I think she knew she had little time to live, and thought that I could keep it safe until you were a little bit older."

  
She left the room, and came back soon. In the meantime, Virginia had changed into her blue Shamanistic robes. When she returned to the sitting room, the young woman sat down next to her husband again. Soon, Victoria came back with a little box, like one that held a piece of jewelry.

Virginia opened the box. Inside, she found a necklace with a charm that looked like a pair of angel's wings. She knew that it was the symbol of those that worshiped the Guardian of Love, Raftina. Which was something that the Royal Family had kept alive ever since the days when Cecilia Adlehyde had called her to Filgaia to save the life of herself and Rudy Roughnight. The young woman put it around her neck, and went to examine herself in the mirror. It looked really good that way.

Victoria smiled. "Your mother told me to give that to you. She was hoping you would be able to keep it safe on your own, but you were only a small child, and she didn't feel like burdening you. So she left it with me. I really should have tracked you down when you were a teenager, but then there were a few problems I had to attend to, so I couldn't go on a trip. And when I was free, I'd just plain forgot about having to give it to you. Now, it's time for you to accept you responsibilities as the descendent of the 

Royal Family of Adlehyde. You look lovely Princess, oh I mean Queen Virginia." She giggled a little bit.

"Thank you," Virginia stated, "I really feel like a Queen now. We've got to get down to business now, though. Last thing I need is to be ill prepared when Vincent comes to call again."

"Ok, I'll tell you about what happened. I've never given up hope that he was really alive. I knew that I most likely wouldn't find an innocent child, something would have happened in the days of his captivity. But I never thought he'd be fighting against his own family," Victoria said.

~ ~ ~ ~

Victoria was sitting on a chair in her bedroom. She was smiling as she looked at her best friend, who was laying in the bed. Ekatrina was holding her twin babies in her arms, feeling the pure joy that comes with being a mother. Emily was sleeping in her little bed, giving the two women a little quiet.

Ekatrina told her friend, "Look at them Vicky, my babies. They're just too precious. I cannot wait to tell my father about this. He's going to be so happy to see his grandchildren. Werner too, he was only expecting to have one baby. But two children is twice as nice, don't you think?"

  
Victoria looked into the eyes of Virginia, who was playing with the charm on her mother's 

necklace, batting the little angel's wings around. "Yes, that is true. So, have you decided which one will be your heir, or are you going to wait a little more, until they are grown and must undergo the ceremony?"

  
"Well, the Guardians prefer girls," Ekatrina stated, "So I guess it'll have to be Virginia."

Just then, Vincent began to cry. His mother handed her daughter to Victoria, so she could rock the baby boy in her arms, and comfort him. Soon, the crying subsided, and he was all smiles again.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Your mother loved her son dearly. I remember how devastated she was when he was taken from her. She cried so loudly, that I thought her tears were never going to dry," admitted Victoria.

Jet asked, "What do you mean by 'the ceremony'? Is it some sort of adulthood ritual that a Shaman has to undergo? Or is it only for the heir to the throne of Adlehyde?"

  
Virginia shook her head. "Partially correct. It's only for the heir to the throne, but it takes place at five years of age. Do you remember the staff we found when we fought Emperor Marduke? You know, the Dist Dims? Well, that is only a replica of the real Dist Dims, a staff used by Cecilia Adlehyde when she fought the demon Ziekfried who we know as Sigfried or Blue Menace. The real staff is made of pure energy, and is sealed inside of the body of the heir to the throne. Meaning, that inside of both me and Lilka lies the power of the real staff, and we can summon it if we ever need it in a pinch while in battle."

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

Well, we've got some more answers. I think I'll bring Vincent back in the next chapter.

****


	7. The Ambush

****

The Ambush

To show her point to her astonished husband, Virginia began to chant a spell. Suddenly, a white-hot light began to show between her outstretched palms. Soon, these lights began to form into a shape that looked exactly like the staff they had found when they'd defeated the Emperor of Marduke and freed Duke Pergrucci. The staff then gained a physical form, and the young woman griped it in her hand.

"This weapon helps us to concentrate on our magic much better," stated Virginia, "It is also useful when striking an enemy with it. If I was to run out of Bullet Clips for my ARMS, I will be able to protect myself and anyone else if it comes down to that. Most Shamans carry around a staff in addition to the ARMS they might purchase in case they have to fight but not reveal themselves. But only the members of the Royal Family can use the Dist Dims, since it's bestowed on the wielder by a ceremony."

Virginia chanted another spell, and the staff turned back into light. It then began to dispel, and re-entered her body. She seemed a little tired from the effort, and lay down on the couch, with her head on Jet's lap. He took her in his arms, and held her closely in order to make her feel better.

  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you Ginny. Victoria, where is the bedroom? I think it'll be a good idea if she takes a nap, and regains her strength. I can't stand to see Virginia in pain," he said.

Victoria told him, "Just go up the stairs, and enter the first room on your right. That's my room, you can stay there. I don't mind sleeping on the couch tonight. Maybe we should put the children to bed too, it is getting kind of late for them. Last thing we need is irritable children in the morning."

  
So Jet carried Virginia up to the bedroom, and tucked her in the bed. He gave his wife a kiss, and then went to search out the twins and Cecille. The young man found them playing in Cecille's room, goofing around with basic healing and protection magics. Virginia hadn't gotten around to teach the two six-year-olds any offensive magic too, and he guessed that Emily hadn't done it either.

He looked at the three kids. "It's time for bed you three. Ashley, Lilka, get your nightclothes on. Cecille, your mother is looking for you. It's getting late, and you all need your rest."

Jet was surprised at how fast his children responded. Usually they gave him and Virginia plenty of trouble around bedtime. He figured that they were only being cooperative because of the crisis that the family was facing, and that they'd be back to their wild selves once the problems had passed.

* * *

"Hey, Ashley, Cecille," Lilka whispered the next morning, "Look outside. Something seems to be up. I wanna go check it out, let's all go together. It might have something to do with Mommy's problem."

So the three children began to get dressed. Cecille put on her blue Shamanistic Robes, while the twins put on their red ones. Then, Cecille grabbed a small staff of her mother's from the weapons drawer, as well as a pair of ones for the twins. The three Shamans went outside, and looked around.

Vincent was there, waiting for Virginia to come outside for one reason or another. He was quite shocked when he saw three children in robes instead. But he was also a little curious about it.

"Excuse me, children. Who are you? Are any of you the children of a woman named Virginia Enduro? Can you ask your mommy and daddy to come on outside?" he asked them.

They ignored him for some time, causing Vincent to get quite impatient. After all, he'd been polite, he hadn't insulted the three kids at all. And he asked for Virginia and Jet really nicely. So he inquired of the trio, "Didn't you hear me? I would like to see Virginia and Jet Enduro. I've got good reason to believe that they are here. Can you three get them to come outside?"

  
Lilka, being the oldest, hid her brother and friend behind her. She turned to face her estranged uncle, with determination in her eyes. "My mommy told me never to talk to strangers. So I can't talk to you either Mister. If you want to talk to mommy, wait until she wakes up." They turned to leave.

"I'm not a stranger," Vincent told her, "I'm your Uncle Vincent. I haven't seen my dear sister in so long, not since she took to the Wastelands as a Drifter. I came here to surprise her with my visit."

  
"Uncle Vinny, Mommy told us that you're trying to hurt her, cuz you were separated from your mommy when you were very little, and you think it's her fault. So we aren't gonna talk to you any more, we're going to go back inside and warn Mommy that danger is here," stated Ashley.

Vincent replied, "That's too bad. I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands. You little brats are going to be the bait I need to get my revenge. I wonder how she'll react when her three kids are no longer nearby. Will she care about you more than her mother cared about me?"

  
Cecille backed off from the scene, apparently scared of the madman. "Excuse me, Mister. I'm not their sister, just a friend. My grandma and their grandma were best friends, grandma even helped Aunt Virginia when she was being born, and after her mommy died."

But Vincent didn't buy her story. He switched the bullets in his ARM to Paralysis Shells, and shot each of the three kids in their arms. Then, he took the trio with him, and left to head towards his hideout. But before he headed out, he nailed a note on the door for Virginia and Jet to find to tell them what was going on, and where they were to go in order to find their children.

* * *

"Oh Guardians!" exclaimed Virginia in a really frantic voice that was on the verge of tears, "Jet! Come here! Ashley, Lilka, and Cecille have been kidnapped by Vincent!"

Jet ran up to her, followed by Emily, Victoria, and Emily's husband Leonard. Virginia handed the note to her husband, who read it out loud. The words sent a shock of fear in his heart.

"I've taken your three little brats, my dear sister, and I use the word 'dear' loosely. If you would like to see them again, come to my hideout in the Zenom Mountains near Baskar. But you must come quickly, unless you want my patience to wear thin, and I'll shoot them. Hope you care about them more than mother cared about me. See you very soon, Vincent."

"Oh, Jet, we must go instantly. I'd hate to see something happen to them," Virginia said.

So they all set out. Emily and Leonard wanted to save their daughter, and Victoria was the one who knew the most about Vincent. Using the Teleport Orb, they warped to Baskar. From there, they began their track to the Zenom Mountains, and the final showdown.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

I know there are similarities and differences from Irv, Alley, and Annie from my WA2 stories. Ashley and Lilka aren't pranksters like Irv and Alley were. And this time it isn't their fault for making their parents search for them, they're getting kidnapped, not rewiring their father's Hovercraft. But the format, pair of twins of opposite gender along with a girl a year younger than them, is the same. I didn't notice until I started to write.


	8. The Escape

****

The Escape

"Ashley, Ashley," called out Lilka, "Are you OK? Let me heal your boo boos." With that, the child cast the basic healing spell on her brother, who had taken the worst damage from their uncle's attack. He got up, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then looked to his twin and friend.

"Where do you think we are? I can't tell. This isn't a place that Mommy took us when she was Megami," he stated. Indeed, the place was really strange to the trio. It appeared to be a prison cell of some sort, but the walls looked like they were made out of stones that hadn't been cut and shaped.

Lilka said, "Maybe it's a cave. Mommy always said that caves weren't fixed up, and had walls like plain rocks. So maybe mean old Uncle Vincent took us to a cave of some sort while he waits for Mommy and Daddy to look for us. Hey, I'd like to see either of you come up with a better thought."

Cecille was crying in the corner. "I wanna go home to my Mommy and Daddy! Why do I have to be here, I didn't do nothing to that man? So why has he taken me from my Mommy and Daddy?" Her eyes were red from so much crying, as was her nose from constantly blowing it. Tears were cascading down her face like some sort of miniature waterfall. The young girl then burried her face in her shirt.

Ashley noticed her distress. His mother had always told him to be nice to girls, if only so he and his sister don't make too much trouble. But he practically worshipped her, the strength she had inside that had defeated many an enemy, so he took her advice to heart. He walked up to Cecille, and held the child close to him. It reminded him so much of how his father took care of his mother.

"Don't worry," Ashley assured Cecille, "We're gonna get out of here, somehow. Mommy and Daddy will come for us, just you wait. Did I ever tell you about the time Lilka and I were taken from her by a group of meanies, and dragged to this dungeon? And how she and Daddy came to rescue us?"

  
Cecille listened to her friend with interest. She heard all about how his mother had lost her memory in an accident prior to his birth, and had traveled the world alone for six full years. Then, he told her all about how she'd re-met his father, and the way she'd gotten back her memory saving him and his sister. The child listened eagerly to his words, it was hard to believe he was only one year older. Ashley had been through so much more than she ever had in her life, and he'd already had a brush with death that he would never forget. Heck, it had only happened half a year ago too.

"I never knew Ashley. How did you ever live like that? Not staying in one place, I mean. You must have a gazillion boo boos after all of that," said Cecille as she stared at him.

Ashley replied, "No, I don't have that many boo boos, maybe a few tens. And it wasn't so bad, Mommy really cared about us, she always wanted to keep us safe. Even though she spoke harshly. But we didn't mind, we knew how she really felt about the two of us. Wasn't her fault that her mind went to sleep, and the mind of a woman named Megami took her place and took care of us."

Lilka suddenly saw a small fissure in the wall. Wondering if she could use it to escape somehow, she examined it. The rocks weren't too strong, but no child's hands would be able to budge them.

If she had been a little older, she probably would have silently cursed the fact that her mother never taught them attack magic. But Lilka didn't know a single cuss, as both of her mother's personalities were very wary about teaching such words to ones so young. As she looked at the wall, she suddenly got a good idea. Maybe she didn't know any offensive spells yet, but she did have an ace in the hole.

Lilka cast the spell used to summon Dist Dims. With the power of the Royal Staff, she began digging at the rocks around her. Any other staff would have been broken at that time, but this was one made of pure energy and the Guardians' power. The rocks began to break apart as she swung, and soon there was a hole large enough for a small child to walk into. She then concentrated on making a tunnel. "Everyone, follow me! We can get out through here. Don't worry, I can use this thing, Mommy taught me after she had that strange spell cast on me. Let's get going guys!"

She began the laborious process of chopping out the tunnel so it would reach the outside of the cave. When it was long enough for all three of them to stand inside, Ashley and Cecille followed. The three kept moving forward, Lilka in the lead. It wasn't long before they saw the light.

"We're outside!" exclaimed Cecille, "We must be close to home now. I'll get to see my Mommy and Daddy soon." She began to skip ahead, not noticing the tree root as she tripped over it. The little girl fell flat on her face, and began to cry like there's no tomorrow over her boo boo.

"Gotta be more careful. This place isn't familiar either, if Mommy had come her before, I would have remembered it," admitted Ashley. It was true, the boy had the memory of an Elephant. It took a lot to make him forget something. In fact, Ashley usually was the one who reminded his mother of what she had to do, in the days when her own memory was a little bit unreliable.

Cecille said, "Ok Ashy. I'll be careful. But where are we? This ain't Grammy's forest. We're not home yet, where are we?" She was about to start crying again, but Ashley put his arm around her.

He held the girl in his arms, close to his body. "I'll get you back home Cecille, I promise. Else my name ain't Ashley Alexander Enduro. Which it was, last time Mommy called to me."

Lilka sighed, something was up with her brother. He reminded her more of their father every day. Was it possible that he had some sort of crush on Cecille? She resolved to save that little piece of info for the next time they got into a fight about something, it was just too good to waste now.

They began traveling in the direction of the sun. It seemed like the safest way to go, although they had no idea what time it was and which direction it was facing. Heck, it was either that or get lost in the woods. At least with a guide, they stood a chance of finding a way out of this.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…

Yup, slick kids. I just love kids. Everyone says I'll make a good mom someday.


	9. The Fight Begins

****

The Fight Begins

"I can't believe it!" yelled Vincent, "Those little brats made a monkey out of me! How in the world could they manage to dig a hole this size out of solid rock?" He threw a vase in anger, and it shattered against the steel bars of the cell. But that did little to end Vincent's rage, if anything, it increased.

The man laughed at how cunning his sister's children were. They had managed to escape from a cell by opening a hole in the wall. He decided to inspect the area where they had dug, maybe the dirt was much looser there or something. After all, mere children couldn't dig through a wall that strong.

But his inspections only reinforce what he had already known. The rocks were just as solid as the ones around him. So if they had wanted to dig in order to get out, they would have to be equipped with some bombs or grenades. And he knew he'd taken everything they had, even those stupid wands they had been carrying. Even though there was no use he could see for those things.

"This is most curious. It must have something to do with the fact that my sister and grandfather didn't bleed like normal human beings. That's it! These aren't normal human beings I'm dealing with," he realized. And this realization was accompanied by a feeling of pure dread.

* * *

The rescue party had arrived at the mountain just as the rains picked up. They continued on, searching for something to cover up with so they could resume searching in comfort. As well as to keep the children warm when they were reunited, no one wanted the three kids to catch a cold.

Virginia said, "We should be getting close, let's think of it that way. If Vincent is holed up in some base, somewhere, at least we can fight him and be dry. Not to mention wait out the storm inside of it once the battle is over and we've reclaimed the children." She smiled at her husband.

The four Shamans were each carrying a staff that they'd took from Victoria's home. In addition, Virginia held her pistols in the side holsters, and had strapped her bazooka over her shoulder. Leonard was more than willing to try the shotgun that he'd brought last week, but his wife and mother-in-law were sticking with magic. After all, Vincent was of their blood, even though he didn't know what that meant.

Suddenly, Jet heard a noise coming from behind the bushes. He turned around, and aimed his ARM at whatever it was. He held steady, never flinching or opening fire. "Come on out now, and I'll spare your life. But if you try and threaten us, I will shoot you dead where you stand."

At that moment, three children spilled out of the bushes and into the clearing. They were wearing dirty Shamans robes, one blue and two red. The boy had silver hair and blue eyes, one girl had brown hair and purple eyes, and the other had blue hair and green eyes. The second girl appeared to have been crying, and the boy seemed protective of her. The first girl seemed to be the leader.

"Mommy! Daddy!" exclaimed Lilka," You came to save us!" She ran into her mother's arms, noticing the tears of joy streaming down Virginia's face. Ashley, who didn't take as well to these little displays of affection, held back. Instead, he showed how he was protecting Cecille.

"Se Daddy, I'm a big boy now. I'll take care of Cecille just like you used to take care of Mommy when you were Drifters," he stated. Pride radiated from his voice, he really idolized his dad almost as much as his mom. Like he'd strived to emulate his mother's kind heart, he wanted his father's strength.

Jet told his son, "That's a good boy. If you take care of one another, you can get through most any situation. Just never try to go at it alone. When I was younger, I'll admit I liked to be alone, and was originally reluctant to teaming up with your mom and the others. But as time went on, I found that I could no longer leave them behind. I'd begun to fear for your mother's safety if I wasn't around to back her up, and I realized that it would be to lonely if I didn't have anyone to be with. I never want my children to make the same mistakes I made back in those days, before I knew what love was."

  
Just then, a horrid laugh cut through the air. "How cute, your little brats are acting just like their wretched parents. But now your time has ended, and you will die, Virginia and Jet Enduro."

  
Vincent came out of the bushes, and boy was he mad. No one pulls the wool over his eyes and gets away with it. He aimed his gun, and shot at Lilka, her being the ringleader and all. But suddenly, the bullet changed direction, and hit into a tree. That surprised the man, he had reinforced the bullet with a technique that his father had discovered in Hyadas. It was supposed to make any bullet fired from his gun take on the attributes of the demonkind instead of the dragons. So what had happened?

  
He got his answer almost immediately. Jet stood there, holding his hand up. The same green glow he'd used to rewire Yggdrasil and Deus Ex Machina, in addition to killing Leehalt, was shining in his outstretched palm. He'd figured that Vincent was using demon technology, how else could he penetrate Virginia's shield? So he thought that maybe his powers would be able to stop it.

"Maybe you can harm Filgaians with your weapons," Jet stated, "But there's no way you can last when confronted with the planet itself. Prepare yourself, we're not going to lose this one."

  
"Wait a minute! You must be that android my father told me that the council was working on. But I thought that he was killed when the Yggdrasil blew up. I was told I'd never have to worry about him if it came down to a fight. Guess even Father could be wrong about some things," muttered Vincent.

Virginia yelled, "Don't call him 'That Android'! Jet is more human than your so-called father, who would kill the whole planet off just so he could rule it. Who summoned a demon in order to further his grand scheme. And who turned you against your family out of spite and hatred for Daddy!"

Vincent was seething. "You will never understand, you who were loved by our mother, who was allowed to live while I was left in the cold. I will kill you, and avenge Father's death. It's the least I can do for the only person who ever cared about my life." With that, he raised his gun, and fired.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words… 

Gotta go confer with the girls, and play some games. Then we can get the next chapter up. Evil cliffhanger, right?


	10. Embraced Destiny

****

Embraced Destiny

The bullet was heading strait for Virginia. But Jet was there again, using his powers to block the shot from killing his wife. Determination shone in his eyes. "Maybe I'm not a real human being. But at least I know how to care about the woman I love. And I will not let you or anyone else hurt her. If you still continue to try and kill Ginny, you're going to have to fight your way through me first."

"How cute," said Vincent sarcastically, "You two are just perfect for one another. Neither of you are human, how else could you explain the woman's blue blood. Something our wretched mother gave her, I assume. Luckily, I inherited the human looking blood of that man who calls himself a father. Or I have been granted humanity in return for all of the horrors I have suffered at their hands."

  
"You're the one who doesn't understand. Vincent, my name is Victoria Syliana, and I'm the woman who midwifed your birth. You must listen to me, Ekatrina loved you with all of her heart. Only she and I knew you ever existed though, because someone took you from your mother on the night you were born. Your father had a hectic enough life as it was, he didn't need to be freaking out over his missing son as well, so he was never informed of what had happened. But your mother believed you were still alive, somewhere in the world. She looked for you for a long time, but eventually had to return back home. I promised to keep on searching, and for many years I did so. So please, stop this senseless violence Vincent. A sister and brother must not shed the blood they share," pleaded Victoria.

Vincent yelled, "I don't care about your little sob story. You're just lying to me so I will be unable to extract my vengeance. I bet you were in on the whole thing, Father told me that the doctor had done nothing to help when that woman talked of abandoning me, just stood there and nodded."

Emily sighed, and stepped up. "Mom is not a doctor, she's a midwife. There's a considerable difference. Your father must be lying, if he really was there he would have known the exact term used by Aunt Ekatrina when pertaining to the person birthing the child for her."

While they were all distracting Vincent, Virginia stood behind Jet and summoned Dist Dims. But she didn't form the energy into a staff. Instead, she thrust it towards her brother, allowing it to cover him completely. Vincent felt a little faint after that, and suddenly collapsed on the forest floor.

* * *

"Where am I?" he asked, "This stupid place doesn't look familiar. When I find out what that stupid sister of mine has done, she's going to have to answer to this problem in addition to the others."

*Do not be a fool, Vincent Maxwell. The demonkind has influenced you in order to achieve their desires. You are a servant of the Guardians by birth, a Shaman,* a female voice echoed throughout the chamber. Vincent looked to the source, and saw a purple and red werewolf standing there.

He asked the creature, "Who are you? If I am indeed a Shaman, as you say, doesn't that mean that the demons are my masters? Why would I desert my lords to serve the Guardians?"

She laughed. *That stupid rumor. It was a mix-up of a thousand years ago that caused people to fear the Shamans. They are not servants of the demons, but of us Guardians. The tribe is descended of the heroine, Cecilia Lynne Adlehyde, Princess of Adlehyde 1,200 years prior to today. And you just happen to be a descendant of the last prince of the country before its fall. Your grandfather was the person that your people used to come to when there was a problem or disagreement that needed to be solved within the tribe. With his death, that responsibility now falls on your sister. I'm usually not one to snuff out a person's desire, being the Guardian of Desire and all, but this is going way too far! You are killing your own flesh and blood, Vincent, something that the Guardians are most against. And what will stop you from killing not only your sister, but your nephew and niece as well? Then, you'll be the only heir left, and will have no idea how to use your powers and take care of the other Shamans.*

"My powers?" inquired Vincent, "What powers? I can use an ARM, so what? It's no big deal anymore if a person is an ARMS user, it's no longer a degree of power like a few hundred years ago."

*Magic Vincent, Crest Sorcery. A skill that all Shamans know. But also, no one can give you the gift of the sacred Dist Dims, the staff that only the heirs can wield. You would have gotten the gift if something had happened to Virginia before she had borne children, as females get first crack in the Adlehyde family where twins are concerned. But if she, your grandfather, and your niece are killed, then no one can give you that power. The greatest strength of the Shamans would be lost forever, and the Guardians would be in deep trouble. So I must protect her,* vowed Luceid, barring her fangs.

Vincent muttered, "This dream is just too weird, you'd think I'd at least get to see a vision from my father, not some stupid entity that is yelling at me to stop my revenge. One of these days, I'm going to have to sort out every oddity in my life, and complain to someone about it."

Luceid appeared to be counting to ten, trying to hold her anger in. *That is enough boy! You are going to listen to me, and listen good. Your mother never abandoned you, your father never knew you existed, and your sister wants to have a friendly relationship with you. Please, give it a try, if only for your own sake. For this quest of yours will end in disaster if you continue to follow it.*

Vincent could see her form fading. But there was something in the creature's eyes that told him to believe her. He suddenly thought about what had happened when he was five, and had seen his family on their picnic. Although they all looked so happy, he now could remember the tears in his mother's eyes. She was wishing that he had been there, but kept her chin up for the sake of her family. There was true love in the woman's heart, he could see that now.

"Guardian of Desire, thank you," he whispered, "I want to go home now, go home to my sister." A bright light began to cover him, as he drifted into a deep sleep once more.

- - - -

****

Sky's Corner

Dang Teefa, sap in a scene that doesn't involve romance. Luceid's the best Guardian for Vincent in her opinion. And at the moment she's playing Pokemon with Rutee. Don't ask with them, they're weird.


	11. Sibling Reunion

****

Sibling Reunion

"Vincent, please wake up," begged Virginia, "I didn't know that my magic would do this to you. All I wanted was to show you the truth, to show you the power that lies in our blood. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that Dist Dims would have this averse effect on another Shaman."

  
"Oooooooooh, sister, is that you," he gasped out. Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes. He saw the worried face of his twin coming into focus. She had been crying, he noticed, crying for him. Vincent began to think into the "even ifs", although he no longer believed that his mother had hated him. Even if she did, his sister had never tried to harm him in any way. Granted, she'd fought back when he had attacked her, but few people will just stand around and let you shoot them. And how could she have known that the man she was fighting against had been the man who had raised him from infancy?

  
Now that he thought about it, Vincent could see the dark side of Leehalt's ambitions. Oh sure, he'd done it so he could survive with the new body he'd gotten after the accident, but every other soul on Filgaia would perish. Vincent had always believed that the Prophets would give him a body to survive in that environment when the time was right, and that's why he hadn't tried to stop them. But would they really have done such a thing? Even if they could, many people who had been nice to him would die. Including Leehalt's brother, who had taken care of young Vincent when the man was busy with work. Did Leehalt, Melody, and Malik want to live that badly? Were they trying to cause the people to undergo a transformation that would render them mindless slaves instead of the intelligent beings they were?

Virginia said, "What a relief, you're going to be ok. I was worried that my magic did something to you, that you weren't going to recover, ever. But since you're ok, why don't we put this little squabble in the past before someone gets hurt even worse. I'd hate to have to kill my own brother."

Vincent looked at her. "I'm sorry, Virginia. I let myself get so caught up in the pain I'd felt, that I refused to see the obvious. Mother was crying when I saw the three of you on the picnic, she just didn't let Father see the pain she felt. Grandfather's magic was not directed at me, it was being used to shield himself from my attack. And you've never tried to hurt me. Heck, if you and your friends can take out all three of the Prophets, you would be able to waste me in three seconds flat. If you really wanted to kill me, I wouldn't have made it out alive when I attacked you at your house that time."

  
"Apology accepted Vincent," she replied, "I'm just happy that we can become a family. Let's go to Boot Hill, I must tell Mother and Father what has happened." With that, she began pulling Vincent along, like she used to do with Jet when they'd first met. Jet was hoping that Vincent had as much energy as he did, or else Virginia would wear him out long before they arrived at the gravesite.

* * *

"Mother, I've got a surprise for you. My twin brother, Vincent, is alive. I know you were looking for him for a long time. Here he is, I found him. Vincent, say hello to Mother," stated Virginia.

Vincent walked up to the grave, and whispered, "Hello, Mother. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you. Aunt Victoria tells me that your sickness came from despair over Father's disappearance. And of the lingering grief you had over me. I just want you to know, I'm sorry for hating you all these years. I'm sorry I fell for Leehalt's tricks. I mean, how can a person hate the one who died because they hadn't been there for him? Please, find it in your heart to forgive me." A tear fell down his face.

Suddenly, the air began to distort. When it cleared, a woman was floating before the twins. She had long blond hair tied up in a ponytail, and vibrant green eyes that locked on the two of them. The woman was dressed in red Shaman's robes. A pendant of a pair of angel's wings was around her neck. Her voice sounded calm, like the gentle flow of water. "My son, you're alive and that's all that matters to me. Whatever happened to you in the past wasn't your fault. I admit, I gave up on ever finding you alive, having no idea of a plot directed at getting revenge against Werner and myself. I would have given in to despair if it wasn't for Virginia, and the concern she'd shown whenever I wasn't feeling at my best. And when I died, my one regret was not being able to save your life. All I ask for, is that you treat your sister with kindness and respect from now on, and that you live a long and happy life." She began to fade.

"Mother!" screamed Vincent, "Don't go! I've finally found out what really matters, so please stay with me a little longer. Tell me all about yourself, and your past. I want to know all about you."

  
"I am sorry, my son, I was lucky to be granted this brief time to talk with you. Virginia, please take care of him. I know you can do it, you are my daughter after all. I have watched you from afar for all these years, and you have made me so proud. You have a kindness that even few of those Shamans who worship Raftina are able to attain. Your love for your husband is the purest I've seen, even purer than mine for your father. Please, be happy in the future," she begged her daughter.

Virginia nodded. She and Vincent watched as their mother's spirit continued to fade, and soon it had vanished entirely. But she did not cry, she had to help her brother in the ways their mother never could. It was the only thing she could do to make it up to him for all of the suffering he'd endured.

Vincent stated, "Well, at least I got to speak with her. Now I know what you saw Virginia, you saw the kindness deep in her heart. I'll never let my emotions get in the way of my reasoning again. We're a family now, like it should have been. But how will I ever make up for all the crimes I've committed?"

  
Virginia held her brother close. "Don't worry, nothing was your fault. Although you acted consciously, you were practically under Leehalt's control at the time. You can make it up by simply becoming a better person, and helping out the people who care about you, even as they help you."

  
"Ginny!" called Jet, "Your aunt and uncle want to speak with you, they want to know all of the details surrounding what happened with your mother and brother, and how you saved him."

  
"Oh well, guess it's time to face the music. Now what excuse can I make up this time? Let's see, I simply knocked him unconscious might do the trick. What do you think?" she asked him.

Vincent shrugged. "Don't ask me, I know nothing about being a Shaman, or how to hide myself from those who might want to hurt me. You're telling the story, so use whatever you want."

  
Virginia then punched her brother in the arm as a joke. But all that did was lead to a wrestling match. By the time Jet had called out to his wife again, wondering what was going on, the two of them were really dirty. This time though, they went inside, to discuss the situation with Tesla and Shalte.

- - - -

****

Teefa's Last Words…  
  
I'm thinking of new ideas now. Let's just thank those who helped. First, to Media Vision for the game. Second, to the variety sites that got me into Wild ARMs. Third, to Squaresoft, as we too that quote about a sister and brother fighting one another from their game "Legend of Mana". Fourth, to Namco, as I swear I was inspired by "Tales of Destiny" in at least one scene. (For those of you who don't know, ToD's heroine must fight her possessed father and the brother who is being forced along or else his father kills this girl who he cares about).


End file.
